3/13 Arrived at the marina, met John and he gave us the royal tour of Slainte. We
were in our bunk by 9 pm since we didn’t get much sleep on our red eye flight.

3/14 We attended a luncheon for old and new “Loopers”. There was one other couple
that was also starting the big trip this year. We exchanged emails. Who knows our
paths may cross. We also stopped at John’s attorney’s office to complete the paperwork
for our 1/3 interest in Slainte.

3/15 Our first day of driving was today. The boat has great maneuverability but
it was decided that Gary will do the driving and I will handle the lines.

3/16 - 4/1 We continue to drive and land the boat. During our free time, it seems
we are constantly at WalMart. The gathering of our stores never seems to end. We
also continue to go through the storage areas to determine what to keep and what
to return to John. The boat has a lot of storage which is a very good thing.

I am trying to remember all my articles I posted on the Blog site. Here is what I
remember so far but it won’t be as descriptive as the original:

Slainte is the Gaelic work for Health and can be used when toasting while drinking.

We have our Looper flag at the front of the boat for other Loopers to see. We can
get together and swap stories and have “docktails” on the dock or on the deck of
someone’s boat. We have met many very nice people so far.

Back to School was a large category on the Blog with several posts. I remember writing
about The Capn computer software for chart plotting. We use it everyday to plot the
direction we wish to drive the boat. We learned the hard way how valuable this program
is to a stress free trip. We were unable to reserve a mooring ball at the Fernandina
Municipal Marina. Mooring balls are very popular as they are a cheaper alternative
to a slip ($15-$20 per night instead of charging by the length of the boat). We decided
to continue on to St Mary, Georgia. We would use the paper charts (which happen to
be 6 years old). We had been told the markers may move but the overall information
is still the same. WRONG. The markers in the Cumberland Sound had been renumbered.
We ended up further north than we wanted to be. The computer chart did show our
location via GPS. I had to stand in tight quarters next to the computer and tell
Gary to turn left/right and read out the marker numbers which appeared on the computer.
It was a scary situation being in a very large body of water and feeling lost. I
put this lesson learned to good use when we were trying to find an anchorage mentioned
in the Cruising Guide book. The Guide book didn’t give an exact location other than
it was in Walburg Creek which I found on the computer program. Only the large marinas
are designated on The Capn and it never has anchorages. As we were cruising along
I noticed the anchor symbol on the paper chart. The symbol was at the other end of
the creek. I had Gary slow down while I quickly put in a revised route on the computer
which eliminated a stressful situation. Gary could see the new route which again
took us into a large body of water. The computer program is a must have.

4/2 We started our adventure early in the morning. John came with us as far as Moore
Haven where his wife picked him up. The cruise was uneventful. We entered two locks
which brought back happy memories of Canal Du Midi and Erie Canal. We tied up along
the Moore Haven Municipal dock wall.

4/3 We had a lock first thing in the morning. The Okeechobee Lake was our first experience
with a large body of water. In fact it’s the 2nd largest body of fresh water in the
U.S. We put the peddle to the metal, watched the computer plotter and checked off
the markers and in no time we coming into the St Lucie canal. Sunset Bay Marina in
Stuart, Florida was home for the night.

4/4 & 5 After looking at the weather report, I decided we should stay put at Stuart.
We did move to a mooring ball to save some money. I spent the first day sewing the
splits in the window screens and Gary organized the outside storage areas. The second
day, we were able to take the dinghy into town. The dinghy was an adventure just
getting in and out of it, crawling on all fours, doing the funky chicken as I’m trying
to get my balance. We didn’t fall into the water which is a good thing. Stuart is
a walkable tourist town. Thee women’s clothes in the shop windows were very very
cute!

4/6 Sebastian River Marina, Sebastian, Florida. The wind was honking but the staff
at the marina were there to help us get secure. The previous 2 nights were without
shore electricity and water. We had to be careful how we used the battery and generator
and water from the holding tank. As soon as we were set up at the slip, I took a
nice hot long shower in the marina’s customer courtesy shower. It felt soooo good.

4/7 Passed the NASA building. It brought back nice memories of our tour there many
years ago with the children. We were able to get a mooring ball at the Titusville
Municipal Marina. Tying up at a mooring ball is our preferred “stay put” method.
It is a small fee but we are close enough to get to a dock if we want to go into
town, it’s quiet - don’t hear the neighbors, and if the wind kicks up we don’t hear
the bumping against the dock. The Max Brewer Bridge was so pretty at night with
each support column glowing red. The picture isn’t ours because we don’t have a tripod.

4/8 Loggerhead Marina Daytona, Beach, Florida. Our dinner tonight is at Caribbean
Jack’s located right at the Marina. Every time I see grouper on the menu I order
either the sandwich or just blackened. It is a wonderful fish, delicate and tender.
I also am ordering a lot of margaritas when we eat out. Note to self, I need to buy
the ingredients so I can have it on board.

4/9 & 10 St Augustine Municipal Marina St Augustine, Florida. This city was a “must
see” for me. It is oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement and
port in the continental United States. It served as the capital of Spanish Florida
for 200 years. Henry Flagler, a partner with John D. Rockefeller, arrived in St.
Augustine in the 1880's and turned the city into a winter resort for the wealthy.
The twin towers of the hotel were water storage tanks which contained 8,000 gallons
each providing running water for hotel guests and thanks to the Edison Electric
Company, was one of the first buildings in the nation to have electricity. We learned
this on our trolley hop on-hop off tour of the city. We visited the Alligator Farm
which I really enjoyed. Birds of all types roosted in the trees above the alligator
ponds. The alligators would protect them from raccoons and other predators that climb
trees. How thoughtful of the alligators. We also toured the Castillo de San Marcos
National Monument. The thickness of the outer walls are 14 19 feet thick at the base.
WOW.

4-11 Filled up with fuel in Ferandina Beach. Tried to set the hook in the bay across
from the dock. Could not get the anchor winch to work. Had to do plan “B” and plot
our way to St Mary. By the time we spent an extra hour getting to the slip, the
wind and current had come up. Had a dickens of a time tying up. Thank goodness
the harbor master drove down to catch our line. Very long day. Had dinner in the
restaurant owned by the guy that owns the marinas.